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Final Overview: Project Kāinga: Rolling Out Successes

Updated: Jan 22

Over five years communities in Northland, Bay of Plenty and the central North Island have been actively involved in the research and have been working with scientists and technical experts, and within their own extended whānau, to develop plans, feature in two short films about our communities and undertake numerous other initiatives to secure a more resilient future.

Project Kāinga is a five-year research programme funded by MBIE’s Endeavour Fund (2019-2024). The focus of the research has been to support kāinga (place-based Māori communities) in their aspirations to take action on the climate challenges which they are facing now and are likely to face in the future.


These communities in Northland, Bay of Plenty and the central North Island have been actively involved in the research and have been working with scientists and technical experts, and within their own extended whānau, to develop plans, feature in two short films about our communities and undertake numerous other initiatives to secure a more resilient future. Our final year saw 5 significant achievements:


1. The development of Kāinga climate adaptation plans

These plans provide templates for any local community to identify climate – related challenges, cornerstone needs and aspirations then community responses through priority goals and actions. The plans are strongly grounded in community narratives, views and leadership.


We show how the concept of community or Kāinga is not only the resident face to face community, but is also the descendant community who may now live locally or further afield. We show how critical it is to descendant community cohesion and resilience to take this wider-encompassing perspective on the journey to achieving a low carbon future, and at the same time improve environmental and biodiversity health along with improving cultural, social and economic wellbeing. We identify novel approaches to the climate, environmental, energy and related risks and challenges within each community, including the importance of the integration of AI, other technology, western science, community knowledge and mātauranga to advance lasting solutions.





2. Submissions and policy advice

We produced several submissions and policy advice inputs to central and local government. This included a collective submission from kāinga leaders and the research team to the Select Committee on climate change adaptation in November 2023. Then in February 2024 on invitation, Merata Kawharu, Ben Tombs, Janet Stephenson and Hirini Tane presented and responded to the Climate Change Commission concerning adaptation issues for tāngata whenua. In July 2024, kāinga members gave a verbal presentation to the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee inquiry into Climate Adaptation. We also wrote submissions to local government on council plans outlining cultural values, leadership values and identifying new climate policies. These submissions were all grounded in the kōrero, tikanga and knowledge of community leadership and were developed with them over several hui and other communications. Net effects and outcomes of these submissions is not only the increased capacity development on technical and difficult climate and political issues amongst all, but also deepening relationships/whanaungatanga between leaders and scientists which provides strong platforms to advance further community development and climate resilience programmes.


3. Ma ngā mokopuna? Oratia Media Ltd (NZ)

One of our highlights is the production of a children’s bilingual book which will help to convey important trusteeship values in simple ways for children and to a wider New Zealand audience. Set deep in the Mamaku forest in the mountainous region overlooking Lake Rotorua through the lives of kokako, tui, pekapeka and a lone rimu tree, the book conveys ideas about action including climate action literally being in your back yard. Ma ngā mokopuna helps to dispel myths that climate change is an insurmountable set of challenges which are beyond the purview of individuals and communities. Action, no matter how small, has a cumulative and multiplier effect when everybody contributes something. The book is told through beautiful narrative and design imagery, helping to create a sense of responsibility, a seed and a sparking a light in children to be engaged in climate matters, to be curious, to learn and to care for the world around them, not least the children of Tane, that is, the many living things in the forest.


4. The complexities of coastal relocation: a practical template for action

The production of the ‘Te Rereatukahia and Climate Adaptation: Legal rights, responsibilities and obligations around climate adaptation at Te Rereatukahia marae in Western Bay of Plenty’ is a template for our future on how to address the complex issues about coastal relocation. It has two significant benefits: First, for Te Rereatukahia, it provides a tool for their engagement with councils based on an examination of the current legal landscape against a backdrop of forecasted climate change impacts. It provides guidelines and avenues for the marae to work with local authorities on the difficult issue of managed relocation.  Second, Dr Ben Tomb’s work provides a step-by-step process model for any kāinga facing challenging climate, legal, regulatory and other issues as they consider relocation. It outlines legal and policy language and provides leverage to support ongoing kāinga plan discussions with local authorities. The template is therefore a critical resource for local communities as they navigate difficult and uncertain climate futures impacting their homes, marae and ancestral landscape.


5. International evaluation

Internationally we had a number of opportunities through invited conference proceedings in Oxford, Scotland, USA and Chile to elevate the importance of lessons from our project. These included the importance of indigenous values including whakapapa as our complexity theory and framework to help deal with the challenges of a changing climate, as we look to a future where we combine our values with AI, technology and western science in novel ways to achieve new and lasting positive change for human and environmental wellbeing.

Project Kāinga will continue to thrive through the Kāinga Adaptation plans, the films and the publications we have produced. Solid platforms for future research, technology advancements and innovation have been created and we look forward to advancing these further.




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